


Pueri Perierat

by Pansychic27213



Series: Fanfic Transfers (2015 Edition) [45]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Alternate Universe - The security guards are children, Cute Kids, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I think I gave Mike asthma again, Mike is fluffy and smol, Old fanfic transfer from Fanfiction.net, Protective Animatronics, Protective Jeremy, The boys are all smol, minor child abuse, minor child neglect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22149841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pansychic27213/pseuds/Pansychic27213
Summary: Three little boys find their way through the hardships of life until a porcelain monster steals them from the streets...
Relationships: Animatronics & Fritz Smith, Animatronics & Jeremy Fitzgerald, Animatronics & Mike Schmidt (Five Nights at Freddy's), Mike Schmidt & Jeremy Fitzgerald & Fritz Smith
Series: Fanfic Transfers (2015 Edition) [45]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1305806
Comments: 11
Kudos: 99





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally Published: 12/17/2015

Shadows drifted quietly along the darkened alleyway. The only light at the time came from the thin beams of moonlight that shone between the clouds; the power was out and the street lamps had gone dark. It was cold outside around this time of year. A strong breeze tore through the alley, making the shadows shiver and sway.

One of the hidden figures wheezed helplessly.

"It's okay, Mikey," a boy with fiery red hair reassured. He had his arms around the smaller figure and was trying to rub some warmth back into his arms. "Jerry will fin' us so'ewhere warm soon."

"I'm really trying, guys," the eleven year old whispered apologetically. His blonde hair whipped into his eyes with the next gust of wind, and he futility tried to shield his eyes with his thin and worn jacket sleeve.

"I-I can't-" the blue eyed boy choked out and his knees weaked beneath him.

"Mikey!" The six year old cried in fright and struggled to hold him up through his own shivering. "Jerry! It's happening again!" The two boys helped the eight year old sit against the wall.

"No! We n-need more time!" The green eyed boy chattered, the cold finally getting to him as well. "There aren't any shelters for at l-least a mile, and w-we still can't go after l-last time!"

"W-what do we do?" The brown eyed boy questioned in terror. He pleadingly grabbed the eleven year old's sleeve.

"We..." The blonde stared at the wheezing brunette in concern. "We h-have to keep him warm!" He quickly hunched down at the eight year old's side and wrapped his arms around him. The blue eyed boy clutched his chest, giving breathy cries of pain every so often. The six year old nodded and huddled down on his other side.

The green eyed male made no protests when the other boys fell into a light sleep. They needed a break after days of wandering through this cold weather. He had hoped to find some kind of shelter first, maybe find something to trade for some medicine. But this was okay too.

As the oldest, he was the leader and protector of the group. He would do anything to keep his boys safe. So he decided to stay awake and keep watch. Every few minutes he would rub Mike's arms or squeeze him closer. The poor brunette had absolutely terrible health issues, and he was always catching something.

More than once Jeremy had considered taking him to an orphanage just so he could get the medical treatment he obviously needed, but then he remembered why the three of them were on the streets in the first place. The thought would fade fairly quickly after that.

They sat there for what must have been hours. Jeremy was just starting to fall to the clutches of sleep when a strange figure appeared at the end of the alleyway. It was unnaturally tall and thin, like a monster from the horror games they sometimes saw in Game Stop windows. It cast a long, skinny shadow that sent chills down his spine.

"Guys," Jeremy whispered worriedly and tried to shake the other boys awake. "Guys, you gotta get up." Mike made a soft sound of pain and fell deeper asleep. His face was flushed with illness, and his heated skin burned wherever Jeremy touched. Fritz sleepily opened his eyes, murmuring about his mother.

The eleven year old glanced back to the figure. It seemed to be watching them, and Jeremy held back a shudder. Instead, he urgently turned back to his friends. "Mike, Fritz, please, you gotta get up. We _have_ to go!"

At the panicked words, the creature screeched at them and lunged. Jeremy and Fritz screamed and quickly ran to safety. The being crashed into the brick wall, and a terrifying _crack_ rang through the alleyway. The monster howled, seemingly in pain. It was still standing over Mike.

"Fritz, run!" Jeremy ordered and pointed to the other end of the alley.

"What about you and Mike?!" The redhead worried, tugging at his sleeves.

"I'll take care of it! Just- Go!"

Fritz nodded quickly and started to run as fast as his long legs would carry him. Jeremy watched until he had disappeared around the corner before turning back to the dark creature.

"Hey, ugly!" He shouted, thinking back to the glimpses of television heroes he had seen. "Over here!" When a pale, haunting face furiously met his eyes, he took off running in the opposite direction of Fritz. He'd let anything happen to him if he could keep Mike and Fritz safe. Even if he ended up getting eaten by some kind of porcelain monster...

A shadow constantly loomed over him as he ran, making him stumble over stones he couldn't see. Just as he knew would eventually happen, two thin, cold hands wrapped around his arms and dragged him backwards. He kicked and fought all the way, but the pitch black body of the beast seemed to absorb any attacks.

Two thin fingers found their way to his neck and gently pressed. It triggered some instinct deep inside him, and he felt himself falling asleep. Still, he struggled as well as he could, even muttering every curse word he knew just to get the point across.

Jeremy wanted to cry when the monster took him back in the direction they had come from. His last moment of consciousness was of a wiry hand pulling Mike's limp body away from the safety of the alley.

-{[(•)]}-

_For those first few months, it had just been Jeremy. He was a strong, independent ten year old and he could take care of himself. He couldn't stay in that house a moment longer._

_So he left._

_It had been difficult for a while. His meager money only bought a couple meals' worth of jerky at the convenience store, and finding a warm place to sleep was harder than he thought. He had been smart enough to bring his own blanket and an extra hoodie, though, so he had a way to carry his few belongings and stay somewhat warm at night. He washed every once in a while in the creek behind the old toy store, and his clothes were cleaned in the leftover water from the ancient lady who liked washing clothes the old fashioned way, with a clothes line and everything. When he ran out of beef jerky, he managed to snag a few odd jobs around town, mowing lawns and cleaning up garages._

_His life on the streets was fine until he almost got dragged back to that place by a police officer._

_Jeremy fought all the way until he finally managed to kick the man where the sun didn't shine and make a run for it. After that, he used the last of his savings to hop on a bus to the next city._

-{[(•)]}-


	2. Chapter 2

-{[(•)]}-

"Mike," a faint voice called to him. His head ached something awful, and he just wanted the voice to leave him alone. "Mike, please, wake up. I gotta make sure you're okay." His chest was compressed by a two ton weight. Why did the voice think he would be able to breathe, much less respond?

Dim blue eyes slowly opened.

Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. His head dropped, and his shoulders quivered for a moment before he managed to reign in his emotions. Looking up once more, he ran gentle fingers through the brunette's hair. The younger boy hummed slightly and faintly turned towards the comforting gesture.

"Daddy?" The question was a mere breath in the quiet room. Jeremy shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mike. It's Jeremy. I found you, remember? There's three of us," the blonde encouraged. A spark of recognition lit in the eight year old's eye.

"Fritz?" He asked weakly before falling to a heavy coughing fit. The green eyes boy carefully helped his sit up straight, propping up their jackets behind him since they didn't have anything else.

"I... I told Fritz to run," Jeremy admitted softly, eyes downcast. Mike looked at him sharply, alarmed. "Something... Something came after us, something big and strong. I tried to distract it, keep it away from you, but it got me. That's- That's where we are. We're in it's lair."

"A man?" Mike leaned against the jackets. He looked extremely uneasy, and it did nothing for his pale complexion.

"No," the eleven year old shook his head. "A monster." The brunette gave him a questioning look, deeming his question too painful to ask. "It was way too tall, and a human couldn't have been that skinny- No, Mike. Don't worry yourself too much, you're really sick." The eldest boy pushed the smaller back again. "Fritz is safe, and no matter what happens, I'll protect you."

With a trembling hand, Mike grabbed Jeremy's hand in an offer of comfort and gratitude and squeezed weakly.

Outraged screaming filled the space. The brunette grabbed his head in pain, and Jeremy quickly stood to his feet. The monster from before pushed open the door and threw in a howling Fritz. The six year old landed safely on some kind of bear costume, but he continued to screech even after the creature left the room. The redhead stood on the thin soles of his sneakers, ran towards the door with all his might, and began to pound his tiny fists on the door.

"Fritz?!" Jeremy cried. He hurried to the other boy and cautiously reached for him. "Fritz, calm down! Fritz!" Livid brown eyes turned on him for a moment, before the youngest boy seemed to falter. His lower lip trembled precariously. Jeremy quickly pulled him into his arms, shushing him. "Aw, it's okay, Fritz. You fought really bravely, didn't you? We're so proud. Good job, kid. You did good." The blonde herded the shorter child to Mike's side and connected their hands.

"Hey," Mike greeted softly, turning his head more to see the boy better. Fritz sniffled noisily and wiped his face with the back of his wrist.

"The bad man got me," the redhead whimpered.

"It's okay," the brunette reassured. Weakly, he patted the space beside him, and the teary boy huddled against his side. "See, it's like Jeremy said. We're proud of you. You did great." He stroked the boy's hair as Jeremy had done before. Where Jeremy provided protection and supplied for their needs, Mike was the best comforter of the group. Fritz trusted both of them unendingly, but he gathered more affection and solace from the soft-spoken brunette.

"Jeremy," said brunette turned worried eyes to their leader. "What are we going to do?" The blonde looked around for a moment.

"We have to escape, just like before. It'll be harder this time, but we'll think of something," Jeremy stated plainly. He stood up and began to examine everything in the room.

"Mikey?" Fritz whispered. Blue met brown, acknowledging but not speaking. "I'm hungry."

"Jeremy?" Mike called faintly. The blonde glanced at him but kept searching.

"Yeah? Oh, these suits might be useful..."

"Do we have any food left?" The room was still. "Jeremy?"

"No."

Fritz closed his eyes quietly and sadly cuddled closer to Mike. The brunette looked more worried.

"Nothing? What happened?" His voice cracked in distress, and Jeremy gave him another glance.

"We ate the last of it two days ago. I wanted to find shelter first, and clean drinking water. I was going to do some more lawn work and buy something at the gas station we passed a few days back, but this happened," the blonde reasoned. Mike let his head roll back.

"When were you going to tell us this?"

"I didn't want to worry you. You were already pretty sick, and we've lasted longer. We _had_ to get you somewhere warm," the eleven year old huffed and turned back to his searching.

"Okay," the brunette's breathy voice was back to a whisper, and his body sagged against the jackets. His hand stilled in Fritz's hair. He had fallen asleep once more.

"Is Mikey gonna be okay?" Fritz questioned, sleepily not moving.

"We'll figure something out."

-[]-

An hour later, Jeremy shakily sat beside his boys. Like before, they were safely unconscious and unaware of his emotional turmoil. Fritz had fallen asleep about fifteen minutes after Mike. It had been a while since they had somewhere warm to sleep, and the boys were out like a light.

Nothing.

There was absolutely nothing in this room to help them escape. Not even a measly screw. The _thing_ that had taken them was not only strong and fast, but smart too. The most they had were the torn apart bear suits, and he was afraid to use those as blankets or something in case they had something that could make Mike worse.

Jeremy didn't know how long he sat there, thinking and pondering. There were too many variables for him to consider, Mike's condition, their respective ages, their resources, their _knowledge_. They had _no_ idea where they were or _what_ they were dealing with. Even if they _somehow_ managed to escape, Mike was still sick, they still had no food, and they probably wouldn't even know where to go from there.

Escape could be futile.

A quiet knocking came at the door. Fritz startled awake, his hand tightening around Mike's. The brunette shifted weakly at the sudden uneasy atmosphere. The door knob started to turn, and Jeremy once again stood in front of the boys.

The door swung open.

Fritz whimpered and clutched Jeremy's pant leg. They were both staring at the pink and white metallic monstrosity in the doorway. A single yellow eye stared at them, and the robot's mouth began to move. The rest of it's body twitched jerkily as a creaky sound box powered to life.

"H-Hello, little ones," a female voice greeted them. It's head tilted to the side abruptly. "I-I-I am t-the Mangle."

"Yeah, well, we were kidnapped," Jeremy snapped. "Who the heck are you, and what did you take us for?"

"R-R-Re-R-Rescue," the mechanical voice shuttered in and out. It sounded like a drastically broken record. "H-He saved you f-f-f-from the streets."

"Listen, lady, if that's what you even are," Jeremy growled, stalking forward. "We didn't _need_ rescuing. And even if we _did_ , we might have come _willingly_ if you actually asked us instead of having that _monster_ thing snatch us up!" At that, the Mangle glared over it's shoulder at something unseen.

"I-I-I-I agree. B-But you needed help. The l-l-little one needs m-medicine," it explained. Jeremy glanced back at the smallest of the boys, his gaze softening at the wheezing breaths and sickly face. He hardened himself and turned back to the robot.

"And what do you want in return?"

The white machine seemed to hesitate at this, and it backed up into the hallway to talk to someone they couldn't see. It looked concerned- as concerned as a robot is capable of looking- and it nodded at something the other thing said. Slowly, the Mangle came back to the room.

"Stay," it said simply. "S-Stay with us. Let us f-feed you and take c-care of you."

Fritz began to cry.

-{[(•)]}-

_Jeremy wandered around the city for a while, scoping things out. It was a_ much _wealthier place than his hometown, with large business districts and towers that reached for the stars._

_He made his first ten dollars going on a coffee run for a few people in a single building. With the way he rationed, it was enough to last him more than two weeks. He earned a reputation in a few buildings for always remembering orders and bring drinks back hot, and whenever he came in, he was instantly loaded with orders._

_This city had a big industrial district too, and there were at least five abandoned warehouses. There were a few homeless men he had to share with, but the other bodies kept the place that much warmer._

_Jeremy used the little spending money he had to buy a warm hat. The older homeless people treated him nicely (and always with varying degrees of concern). He had food and water and a warm place to sleep again. It was good for a while._

_As he was walking through town one day, he heard a quiet noise. The faceless business men around him didn't seem to hear, but Jeremy had been living on the streets for at least three months now. You had to be constantly alert, and even such a small noise had instantly caught his attention._

_Cautiously, he approached the alley the noise had originated from. The soft sound came again, and he followed it to a small space behind a dumpster. There was a brunette there, crying his pretty blue eyes out._

_He looked pretty small and fairly young. He was clean too, so Jeremy came to a decently obvious conclusion._

_"Hey, are you lost, kid? I can help you find your mom," the blonde offered. The younger boy looked up and let out an even bigger sob. Without saying a word, he tucked his face back into his knees. Jeremy looked around and shrugged to himself._

_He had nothing better to do._

_"It can't be that bad, huh? Where did you last see your mom or dad?" He asked as he sat in front of the boy. The younger child looked pale and too thin to be healthy._

_"M-muh-my s-step-mom left m-me h-h-h-here," the brunette hiccuped out. Jeremy frowned and scooted closer._

_"C'mon. I bet she didn't really leave you. Bet you she's worried out of her mind tryin' to find you too," he reassured._

_"S-shuh-she tried to s-send me to b-buh-boarding school, b-but Daddy w-wouldn't leh-het her," the boy continued to sob. "She wants to g-get r-rih-hid of m-muh-me. She wants Daddy ah-hall to h-hur-herself. She s-said suh-ho."_

_Jeremy gave the child a pitying look and pulled him close. His hands rubbed over the boy's quivering back, even as hiccups wracked the smaller body. He wasn't so used to affection, but it felt like the nice thing to do for the poor kid._

_"What's your name, kid?" Jeremy asked quietly. "Or am I just supposed to keep calling you kid?"_

_"M-Mike," the child finally identified and looked up with those crystal blue eyes._

_"Yeah? Well I'm Jeremy." The ten year old couldn't help but puff up with pride, knowing his name meant 'strength.' "And I'm ten. How old are you?"_

_"T-today's my seventh buh-birthday," Mike whimpered. The blonde could feel his heart breaking as the little kid's eyes filled up with even more tears. "S-she said we w-were going to the park to c-celebrate, buh-hut Daddy huh-had to work. W-we drove for three hours, a-and I duh-don't know huh-how to get h-home!" He began to sob again, and Jeremy quietly tried to soothe him._

_It wasn't going to work._

-{[(•)]}-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: What is a holiday tradition you have with your family? My family eats Poptarts for breakfast every Christmas.


	3. Chapter 3

-{[(•)]}-

"Stay with you!" Jeremy barked back, sharp as knives. Internally, some small part of him, a childish part he thought died long ago, jumped at the chance to be taken care of for once, to stay in once place for more than a couple of months, to find a _home_.

Mike made a distressed sound in his sleep; his eyebrows pinched together, and he turned towards the voice. Even unconscious, he sought to comfort others.

Fritz, still crying, buried himself back into Mike's side and hid his face from the mean lady who would taunt them so cruelly. The contact seemed to settle the eight year old once more, and he sank into the jackets. His face was only slightly scrunched.

"We're not staying here," Jeremy hissed, much quieter than before.

"You're too nice, Mangle," a younger, male voice called. "Why don't you go charge? You're voice box sounds terrible." The female robot nodded and retreated. Something much taller and blue came as her replacement.

It was a rabbit, that was for sure, and it was sure wearing a lot of makeup for something supposedly male. Long eyelashes fluttered against plastic cheeks as the animatronic squatted down to Jeremy's eye level. Jeremy was average height for his age, and the action was degrading and mocking.

"Hey, kiddo," the idiot greeted and reached out to tweak his nose. "I'm Bon Bon. Why don't you just listen to the adults-"

"Why, I oughta-!" Jeremy growled and pulled back his arm for a punch.

"Jerry, don't," the six year old called quietly behind him. "Mikey doesn't like it when you fight." The blonde seemed to deflate a bit at that, but he still gave the rabbit his evilest glare, the one that almost got him kicked out of third grade.

"You're an idiot," he declared instead. "And if you think any of us are stayin' for another second, you've got another thing comin'." He turned back to his boys and started to bundle Mike in the jackets. The brunette shivered and made displeased sounds, but Jeremy was determined to get them out of there.

"Now just hold on a sec," a deeper voice called. It sounded so much warmer than the stupid rabbit's, and just the friendly tone was enough to make Jeremy pause for a moment. He quickly regathered his wits and continued to make sure Mike was secure. "You want the little 'un there to get better don'cha?"

"We can take care of ourselves," Jeremy insisted. He struggled to gather Mike in his arms, but the boy's light weight and small frame made it easier than trying to carry Fritz.

"We have medicine."

The eleven year old really faltered this time. The Mangle had mentioned it before, but then he'd been distracted by the request to stay. Looking down at Mike, he knew it could be days before they found something worth enough to trade for what they needed.

"And it's warm here. We have blankets, rooms you can stay in, _food_..." The man continued. Jeremy's eyes remained trained on the eight year old's face.

Outside, they struggled to find even one of those things. Day to day life was a struggle, especially when taking care of three growing boys. It was near impossible when one of them was sick. To have all those things at once... It was a _dream_.

"And we don't... don't have to do anything?" Jeremy finally asked, still not turning around.

"No, sir. Just _stay_."

"Are you okay with that, Fritz?" The green eyed boy turned to his only conscious companion. The redhead looked over his shoulder at the male speaking, then back to Jeremy, and nodded. "First, let's get Mike somewhere comfortable, okay?"

He turned around to meet the eyes of one Fred Fazbear.

-{[(•)]}-

_A few years ago, before the thought of really running away had ever crossed his mind, a seven year old Jeremy had snuck out one night. Dad was drinking again, so he hardly noticed the back door opening and closing._

_Jeremy was a good boy, and he was only running away for today. His friends at school had told him about the place they went for Susan's birthday. He had wanted to go, but Dad said he should stop 'lazing about and do his chores'. All Jeremy ever did was homework and chores, so he didn't know why Dad still thought he was a bad, lazy boy._

_But Jeremy was still going to see for himself._

_All the other kids said the place was magical and super fun and amazing, so he knew he had to at least take a look at the outside. The restaurant had been open for almost his entire life now, but it was all the way on the other side of town. Mama had died when he was really little, so Dad had never taken him._

_With the change from the couch cushions and under the dresser, Jeremy managed to get a bus ticket across town. The bus driver gave him a funny look, but Jeremy gave his best smile and she let it go. It was exciting to ride in a bus, especially because he walked to school everyday, so he sat up really high on his seat and watched everything passing by._

_When he finally arrived, he decided the building must not look fun on the outside so people were more surprised when they went in. He tried going through the shiny glass doors, but the man in the purple uniform said he had to pay first and have an adult with him._

_Jeremy didn't have enough money, even if he used all his bus change. Instead, he snuck around to the back. The door was locked. He ended up sitting on the back step, crying quietly._

_The blonde couldn't really tell you why he was crying. It felt like he had done a lot of work for nothing, but that wasn't the only reason. He didn't get what all the others kid did, didn't get to see the amazing, cool place they all knew. He didn't have a Mama like everyone else, either. And he really didn't want to go home where Dad would smell like beer and be mean again. It was all that and this deep, empty hole in him that had quiet tears streaming down his cheeks. But he wouldn't for the life of him be able to explain it._

_Suddenly, the door opened behind him, and the seven year old spun around with a gasp, quickly wiping his eyes. Dad said crying was for babies, and so he never let anyone see if he was crying._

_"Hallo, little 'un," the cheerful looking bear greeted. Jeremy's innocent green eyes widened, and he stared with unreserved awe. "Why're you here all by yerself?"_

_"M-my friends were talking about this place, and I wanted to come see since Dad wouldn't let me," the boy fumbled out. He awkwardly made his way to his feet so he could look at the bear more closely._

_"You should really listen to your parents. Why don't you come in and we'll give him a ring-"_

_Jeremy's eyes flooded with tears again. He quickly wiped them before they could fall, but the bear had already seen. The older male just dropped to one knee and pulled the boy into a hug. The seven year old gasped and stiffened, afraid of being touched. Gradually he calmed down enough to wrap his arms around the big bear and hide his face in the plastic brown chest._

_"What's yer name, son?" The bear asked. Jeremy gave him a shy smile and scraped his toe on the ground._

_"Jeremy. What's yours?" He replied quietly._

_"I'm Fred, Fred Fazbear."_

-{[(•)]}-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: If you celebrate Christmas, what was your favorite gift you received and your favorite gift you gave? My parents bought me some cookware for the themed kitchen I want to design, and it made me really happy to give my best friend these gorgeous dragon ear cuffs that I found.


	4. Chapter 4

-{[(•)]}-

The blonde almost dropped Mike in surprise, just barely catching himself in time to tighten his hold instead of loosen it. He reigned in his shock and internal screaming enough to follow Fred to somewhere better for the brunette in his arms.

If they were back at Freddy's, then they were back in his hometown. It was a little over a year and a half since he left, Mike's eighth birthday having been about three months ago. His dad probably still lived here, in that same old house on Doloroso Drive. Jeremy knew the exact way to the old toy store from here, and his school, and the ancient lady's house, and his mom's grave in the cemetery. This was the place Jeremy spent this first decade of his life, and he couldn't be more terrified.

Fred took the boys to the security office. All the furniture had been shoved haphazardly in one corner, and a nest of blankets and other soft things had been crafted in the other. Jeremy noticed the two air vents on the ground but didn't comment. Instead, he carefully laid Mike down in the middle of the blankets and arranged them around him.

The blonde took a deep breath. He had to get his emotions under control. His boys needed him, and now was not the time to be having a breakdown about his dad. He looked to little six year old Fritz, who was watching him with those same big, trusting eyes Mike had about a year ago. He turned to Mike, who was woefully unaware and burning a hundred and three degree fever.

"Medicine," Jeremy said, "You said you had medicine." He looked over his shoulder at the plastic bear. He could have sworn he saw a deep sadness in the robot's eyes, but that was impossible.

The bear just nodded and disappeared for a moment. He came back with a white plastic box. Jeremy rummaged through it for a moment before he found what he wanted. Even in sleep, Mike was as gentle as ever, and he quietly accepted the medicine without stirring. The eleven year old packed away the little bottle and handed it back to the bear.

"Now that that's taken care of, we should probably eat," he declared. The animatronic nodded and turned to leave once more. "Oh, a-and Fred?" The bear paused. " _Thank you_." Something about the machine's mechanics loosened, and the bear seemed almost lighter as he exited the room.

There was a gentle tug on his arm.

Jeremy met Fritz's worried eyes, and the redhead led him over to the blankets beside Mike. He gently pushed the taller boy down.

"You need to sleep, too," Fritz muttered. He slipped into Jeremy's lap and laid his head against his chest. "You always take care of everybody, but you need to have someone take care of you too."

"I've got you and Mike," Jeremy smiled warmly. He wrapped his arms around the boy and settled against the blankets. "You guys take pretty good care of me, especially when I'm being an idiot."

"So you admit it," Mike whispered, barely awake. Jeremy snorted.

"Go back to sleep, dork."

The brunette nodded faintly before his breathing evened out once more. Jeremy stared at him for a long moment. The eight year old somehow wouldn't wake up through the visits of all the animatronics or being carried to a completely different location, but as soon as Jeremy and Fritz were next to him, he was suddenly awake. It was sweet.

It took a while for the animatronics to come back with food. Jeremy drifted in and out of consciousness during the wait, but Fritz was wide awake after his little nap. The brown eyed child woke him up fully when the robots came with a pizza and a bowl of soup.

The two boys stared at the pizza for a long moment, neither having had something warm, much less with so much flavor, since they came to live on the streets. Cheese, sauce, toppings... It seemed like a long gone and forgotten memory until now.

The children eagerly dug into the food while it was still hot, missing the worried and saddened looks of the animatronics. The robots took seats in different locations around the room. Bon Bon leaned against the desk in the corner. Mangle settled on the ceiling above the kids. The yellow bird sat across from them, watching them enjoy their meal. Fred knelt behind them.

"May I..." The bear hesitated, one paw outstretched towards the sleeping brunette. Jeremy slowly turned to look over shoulder at him. "May I hold him?" The other animatronics went still. Mangle and the bird looked almost wistful, while Bon Bon turned his face away. "We haven't seen children in so... so long. 'M sorry."

Green eyes searched the bear. Even at eleven, he was a master of reading body language. Even as an animatronic, the bear showed very human gestures. The blonde figured they must be pretty advanced. From what he could see, all the bear felt was intense desire and hopelessness.

Jeremy could remember what that felt like.

"Sure, I guess. He might flip out if he wakes up, though," the eleven year old intoned wisely. He quickly turned back to the pizza.

Fred was very careful when picking up Mike. He cradled the boy's head in the crook of his arm, just like he saw mothers do with their babies. He used his other hand to carefully shift the boy into his lap and layer a few blankets around him. Finally, he turned on his internal heater, the one they were supposed to use to keep their circuits from frosting.

"So what are you supposed to be?" Jeremy vaguely gestured at the yellow animatronic in front of them.

"I'm a chicken!" The bird informed brightly.

"Never seen a chicken wear booty shorts before," he muttered and took another bite of pizza. "Thought this place was for kids."

"Apologize," Bon Bon snapped. At Jeremy's look, he continued. "Say you're sorry, twerp. We can stop helping you at any time, so don't go riding around on any high horse-" Fritz sent Mike a panicked look and grabbed the eleven year old's sleeve.

"Bon, stop it," Fred sighed. "We offered to help them freely. We can't just pull back our offer. This one needs medicine, and we aren't going to put them back on the streets."

"Jerry wasn't trying to be rude!" Fritz insisted anyway. "He does it to everyone!" The bunny made a haughty noise and pointedly began to ignore them.

"And what's your name, chicken?" The blonde continued his questioning.

"My name's Chi!" She giggled.

"Is that so? And there aren't any more animatronics waiting around to introduce themselves?" He asked sarcastically. He knew there had to be one more. None of these things matched the creature that had abducted them.

"Well, there is Balloon Boy and the Puppet," Chi said thoughtfully, feathery finger to her chin in thought. "But he wanted to take care of some things before he introduced himself." Jeremy snorted and moodily went back to eating.

"I'm _full_!" Fritz breathed in amazement as he flopped backwards on the ground. "That was _so_ good. Can we have pizza all the time?"

"Of course!" Chi grinned. She clapped her hands. "What's your favorite kind of pizza? I can go make some right now!"

"Don't feed him too much or he'll get sick," Jeremy warned and finished his last bites of pizza. "We probably shouldn't eat too much anyway."

"Why not?" Bon Bon demanded.

"'Cuz we've been eatin' rations for forever!" Fritz whined and rolled around a bit. The blonde swatted at him lightly but didn't protest.

"We haven't eaten much over the past months, so our bodies aren't used to digesting large amounts of food. Eating too much will make us sick. I'm pretty sure I already said that," the older boy deadpanned.

"W-Why don't we play a b-b-board game?" The Mangle finally suggested.

"A game?" Fritz questioned in awe. He finally stopped flopping around and sat up to look at the female animatronic. Jeremy watched him sadly; they hadn't had much time for play on the streets, and the older boys were sad they couldn't let Fritz keep his childhood. "What kind of game?"

"I vote poker," Bon Bon declared, dusting off his suit arms.

"No one asked you, Trix are for kids," Jeremy growled. Internally, he cheered at his clever mocking of the stupid rabbit. Bon Bon just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"What about Candy Land?" Chi asked.

"That's for _babies_!" Fritz complained.

"Why don't you play Sorry?" Fred tried. His eyes were still fixed on Mike, but he was clearly paying attention.

"Sorry?" The six year old questioned.

"I haven't played that game in forever," Jeremy said wistfully, mind drifting back to his earlier childhood. He didn't noticed the stares he was receiving, but Fritz and the animatronics seemed to make their decision.

"I love that game!" Chi cried.

"I'll go get it," Mangle agreed.

"You'll teach me, right, Jerry?" The redhead asked hopefully. The green eyed boy jerked out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."

-[]-

Mike woke up feeling much better than before. He was pleasantly warm, and his headache had eased a bit. His chest didn't feel so tight either.

He coughed a bit before he finally opened his eyes, but that was usual. His sight was blurry for a long moment. Finally, his bright blue eyes focused on the big brown blob in front of him.

It was a bear.

A giant, robot bear.

Mike blinked.

Where was... Where were Jeremy and Fritz? He turned his head to try and find them, surprised when the motion was difficult because the bear was cradling his head. He coughed weakly again, and he finally found Jeremy and Fritz with some other robots. They were all playing a board game.

"Jeremy," he whispered. The blonde kept playing the game. "Jeremy."

"Hmm? There's those baby blues. I think he's awake," the bear said. The boys instantly perked up and rushed to him.

"Mikey!" Fritz cheered and hugged him. Jeremy just grabbed his hand.

"Jeremy, check my temperature," Mike requested anxiously. The green eyed boy looked over him worriedly.

"Are you okay? You look like you're doing better than before," the eleven year old fretted. Mike squeezed his hand, eyes darting around the room.

"I think I'm seeing things," he admitted. His voice was little more than a squeak; he was clearly terrified. Jeremy glanced around the room and laughed.

"Oh, no, you're fine, Mike," he assured. "These are the animatronics of Freddy Fazbear's Fun Palace. Remember earlier, when I said we were kidnapped? Well we were, but it was them."

"But... Why?" The brunette gaped. He coughed gently into his available hand.

"This place got shut down sometime after I left town. They just wanted to take care of kids like they're programmed to do. Plus, we really needed the help," Jeremy explained honestly. Behind him, the animatronics' jaws dropped, surprised at his understanding of the situation. They had been playing Sorry for an hour and getting to know each other, but none of them had directly stated _why_ they wanted the boys to stay.

"I wish they had just _asked_ us instead of grabbing us, but there's nothing we can do about it now," the blonde added grumpily. Mike smiled and weakly squeezed his hand again.

"What about you, Fritz?" The eight year old asked. "What do you think?"

"It's warm here. And they gave you medicine, and we have food and games and new friends-!" The redhead took a deep breath and gave an ecstatic grin. "It's awesome!"

"That's good. As long as everyone agrees..."

A tall, thin figured appeared in the doorway.

"Hello," Mike greeted softly. Fritz turned around, squeaked, and darted behind the bear. Jeremy jumped to his feet and stood protectively in front of his boys.

"You!" He shouted, face reddening.

"Jeremy?" The smallest boy questioned quietly. "I thought they wanted to take care of us, why are you...?"

"He's the one that kidnapped us!" The blonde pointed. "He scared the tar outta Fritz!"

The thing laughed.

But, instead of the menacing laugh they were expecting, it was a light, tinkling sound like notes from a music box. The creature wiped at its face as though it was tearing up, and its other hand rested over its jiggling torso.

"You're so _cute_!" The lanky animatronic cried. " _Look_ at you! _Adorable_!" It gave them a long look. "And dirty. Why haven't we given them a bath yet?" It snapped its long, black fingers. "Bon Bon, you take the youngest one to the main bathroom and give him a wash. Fred, take the fiery one to the staff bathroom; give him a real bath, please. And you, sicky poo, get to come with me to my bathroom!"

"What?" Jeremy scowled. "No way! We don't need baths, and even if we did, we can take care of ourselves just fine!"

"Maybe you can, but I don't think I can move very much," Mike whispered. He tried to raise his arm for more than a few seconds and found it exhausting.

"A-and I never really learned, either," Fritz mumbled from behind the bear, twisting his shirt in his hands.

"We don't have any clean clothes," the eleven year old protested quietly.

"I know some clothes you can wear!" the chicken announced. "I'll go get them!" Jeremy huffed, blowing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Fine."

"Excellent!" The black animatronic clapped his hands. "Then let's get a move on!" He was across the room in the blink of an eye and scooped up Mike effortlessly, settling him against his hip.

"Oh," the brunette breathed and clutched at the being's cloth suit. "Not too fast please..."

"Of course," the animatronic nodded and left the room.

"So what's your name?" The blue eyed boy asked softly.

"I'm the Puppet," the creature said. "But most people just call me Marion."

"I'm Mike," the child smiled. The Puppet smiled back.

"Here we go," Marion approached a white box with a shiny red bow.

"That's not a bathroom," the eight year old's eyebrows pinched together.

"No. But it's magic," the animatronic grinned. He opened the lid and stepped inside. "You can't tell anyone else, okay? It'll be our little secret!" Mike nodded quickly, eyes twinkling in the dark.

The Puppet crouched, and the lower he went, the farther into the box they traveled, until they reached a completely different level of the pizzeria. There was a large, warmly-lit room with impossibly high ceilings. There was a charging station and various bookshelves on one end of the room, and on the other was a desk and all kinds of magical equipment. Somewhere along the wall in between was a door, presumably to the Puppet's bathroom.

Mike looked around in awe, trying desperately to keep himself from thinking it was all a dream. He wasn't sure he wanted to wake up if it _was_.

Marion carried the eight year old to the bathroom and helped him undress. The brunette was wrapped in a big, fluffy towel as the tub filled with warm water. The child's very bones ached at the thought; he hadn't had a real bath since he started his life on the streets. Cold rivers and the hoses behind people's houses really didn't count.

"Mr. Marion?" The blue eyed boy called cautiously. "Why do you need a bathroom?"

"Well, I have to stay clean _some_ how, don't I?" The animatronic grinned. "The others use the pizzeria's bathrooms, but I like my privacy."

"Okay," Mike agreed. Marion turned off the water.

"I think that's it! Why don't you start by yourself, and I'll help as needed?" He suggested. The boy nodded shyly and carefully climbed into the water. He seemed impossibly small in the large white tub, and Marion found himself holding in coos.

The brunette began to wash himself while the animatronic occupied his mind with a magazine. Finally the boy came to a part he couldn't complete.

"M-Mr. Marion?" He requested. "I can't hold up my arms long enough to wash my hair." The Puppet nodded and knelt beside the tub.

" _Tsk_ , _tsk_ , little one. You've got _quite_ the fever!" He said even as he smiled reassuringly. His fingers carefully lathered up the child's hair, and he used a cup to rinse out the suds.

"Thank you, Mr. Marion," Mike broke the pleasant silence once he was finally wrapped up in the towel again.

"Oh, _please_!" The Puppet waved a hand. "You make me _blush_! Just call me Marion." The eight year old giggled. "Let's see if that plucky little chicken found you some clothing." The porcelain-faced being carried the blue eyed boy back to the main room.

Sure enough, there was a stack of clothes on the floor in the middle of the room. The Puppet gently set Mike down beside them and began to help him get dressed. Each article was a _few_ sizes too large, especially since the clothing Chi had found was apparently a man's security uniform. The shirt alone almost reached Mike's ankles, so they didn't even bother with the pants. Instead, Marion buckled the belt around the boy's waist to hold the button up shirt better.

"We'll figure something better out soon," the animatronic promised with a pout. Mike was just too cute, but he needed proper clothing. The eight year old just nodded.

The magical creature swept the child back into his arms, and they began to rise back into the box on the main floor. The Puppet stepped out and carried Mike back to the security office, where Jeremy and Fritz were waiting.

Jeremy's uniform fit a bit better than Mike's, but Fritz's wrapped around him surprisingly well. The redhead was so tall and had such long limbs, the outfit almost fit. Still, Marion would come up with something.

Mike ended up back in Freddy's lap, and the others picked a few more board games to play. The brunette was tired, but he felt a lot better after the medicine and wanted to have fun like his friends. He hadn't played games or anything like that for a long time...

"M-Mr. Fred?" He called after a while and patted the bear's chest. The animatronic looked down at him, and Mike shrank down a little. "I-I just... C-Could-" He cut himself off, blushing.

"Yes, little one?" The friendly machine prompted.

"Could I d-draw?" The boy whispered. Jeremy made a wistful sound, and Fritz perked up.

"We should draw!" He cried. "Can we? Can we?" He bounded over and tugged at Fred's arm.

"I think we have a bit of paper left in the manager's office," Chi stated. "And there're still boxes of crayons in the supplies cabinets." Mangle scurried off to retrieve the necessary items, and the room burst with energy when she returned.

The boys and even the animatronics began to draw excitedly, chatting and comparing artwork.

"Look, Jeremy, Mangle!" Fritz cried. "It's a puppy!" He held up his drawing for them to admire.

"Good job, kid," the blonde grinned.

"It's l-l-lovely, dear," Mangle patted his head as gently as possible.

"What are you drawing, Mike?" Freddy asked.

"N-nothing much," the boy blushed, trying to cover his paper. It was a drawing of Jeremy, Fritz, and himself holding hands and braving various dangers. It was a talented drawing for an eight year old, but it still showed a level of childishness not usually present.

Bon Bon leaned over Jeremy. "Are you... drawing us?"

The green eyed boy snorted and lightly pushed him away. "I'm cataloguing your weaknesses."

"It's not very smart to tell us that, is it?" The rabbit smirked. The eleven year old scowled and covered his drawing more.

It was about an hour later when Mike was too tired to continue and they were starting to run out of supplies. The animatronics bid them good night and left them once more.

-{[(•)]}-

_Jeremy and Mike stayed together in the warehouse and shared supplies. Jeremy gave Mike his warm hat so the younger boy would be protected, and they both gathered orders from office buildings._

_Unfortunately, even with the hat, it wasn't long before Mike caught something. They lost half their income, and Jeremy struggled to find cheap medicine. It was just such a fancy place that even the medicine seemed more expensive than normal._

_Without the medicine, Mike's condition kept getting worse and worse. One of the older homeless men helped Jeremy get Mike to the bus stop and travel to the next town. They were able to get cheaper medicine there, but when they came back, the police had busted the warehouse._

_Once Mike was better, they moved to a new place and tried to rebuild their lives._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: What's your favorite thing to do when you're sick? Other than napping, I really like binging anime.


	5. Chapter 5

-{[(•)]}-

The boys enjoyed the most peaceful week of their lives at the Fun Palace. Jeremy and Fritz spent their days playing everywhere they could, and Fred and Marion carried Mike so he could watch and not get tired. The brunette mostly napped and ate; the animatronics put a lot of pressure on him to get better. By the end of the week, Mike was well enough to walk around on his own for short periods. Altogether, it had been an amazing week.

The only odd thing had been the area they weren't allowed to play in. Obviously it could be dangerous to play around in Parts and Service, but the animatronics didn't even want to show them into the room. Fritz seemed happy to ignore the room altogether, and Jeremy had gained some respect for the animatronics and actually wanted to obey them.

Mike was curious.

He didn't want to upset the animatronics or disrespect them or anything, but he just wanted to see what was back there. It couldn't really be anything so bad, could it?

-[]-

Mike was sitting in Fred's lap again, watching Jeremy and Fritz running around in circles with paper plates, party hats, and kitchen utensils. Fritz had wanted to play knights and had insisted they dress the part. Mike had drawn the castle for them to defend, and Marion was playing the dragon. Mangle and Chi were the damsels in distress, Balloon Boy was the king, and Bon Bon was the court jester.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Mike leaned up and whispered in Fred's ear. The bear nodded and patted his back to help him get up. The animatronic started to get up after him, but Mike crossed his arms. "I can go by myself!" Fred stared at him for a long moment.

He sighed. "If yer sure. You know how to get one of us if you need us."

Mike nodded and quickly scampered towards the restrooms. He did need to go to the bathroom, but this might be his only opportunity to see what was behind the door of Parts and Services.

After he took care of himself and washed his hands, he crept up to the closed door and stared up at the sign. He steeled himself and tried the handle. Locked. He frowned lightly. Maybe...

The eight year old knocked gently, calling a quiet, "Hello?"

He waited for a moment. Finally, he let out a disappointed sigh and turned to leave. There was a creak and a hand suddenly yanked him backwards. A startled yelp escaped his lips just before he landed on his butt.

The door slammed shut.

Mike clutched at his chest, breathing heavily. A cough tore past his lips. He whimpered.

It was very dark in here, and any light reflected off sharp parts and broken equipment. The air was dusty and stale, making it hard to breathe. It smelled like rot and mold and everything bad. Coldness started to seep into him.

The boy's eyes watered.

"H-Hello?" He repeated and shifted around on to his hands and knees. He moved until his back was to the door.

A shadow moved in the darkness.

"Who a-are you?"

A light briefly flickered.

Mike reached out. His hand touched something furry and soft.

It latched on to him.

Too terrified to even scream, Mike's breaths came heavy and fast. Tears ran down his face, and he weakly pulled back against the thing holding him.

Fingers stroked through his hair, and there was the quiet hiss of air from directly in front of him. The creature pulled him into its lap, petting him and rocking him jerkily back and forth. Other hands cautiously soothed him with their touch.

Mike silently buried his face into the chest of the one holding him. His sobs had died down now, but he still trembled in the face of the unknown.

The light flickered again and turned on.

It was the eyes of an animatronic. Looking up, Mike recognized the face of a bear. Another set of eyes turned on, and he saw a fox. A third set of eyes brightened, and he could see a bird and a bunny nearby. The bunny didn't appear to have the glowy eyes of the others.

Mike was sitting in the lap of the fox, a pirate fox by the looks of his hook and eyepatch. The bird was missing the lower half of its arms, the bear looked damaged and worn, and the bunny was missing the top of its face.

"Y-You're animatronics," the blue eyed child recognized. "What happened to you?" The bear's jaw moved up and down, but there was no sound. The fox tried as well, and the bird, but no one could tell him anything.

Finally, the bunny pointed at the door.

"Out there? What's out there?"

Everyone pointed at themselves.

"You? Bu- Wait, do you mean animatronics?" Mike stared at them for a moment. "Did the animatronics do this to you?" The bunny nodded. "Why would they..." The boy curled into himself, deep in thought.

"Do you know sign language?" He asked.

The bear made a few gestures.

Mike grinned.

-[]-

Eventually Bon Bon had gotten fed up with being the court jester and went to did beside Fred. They sat for a moment, watching the others playing. Bon Bon looked at Fred, about to start a conversation, when he noticed something.

"Fred... Where's Mike?"

The bear jolted and looked at him in surprised. "Shoot! Ah forgot. He went ta the restroom a while'go."

"How long-"

"GIVE IT BACK!"

A furious bundle of eight year old slammed into Bon Bon's chest. Everyone startled and turned to the spectacle, shocked by Mike's sudden violently angry behavior. The rabbit quickly moved to his feet, with Fred standing as well.

"Mike, what are you-" the blue animatronic started.

"GIVE IT BACK! YOU STOLE IT, YOU FAKER!"

"Mike!" Fred warned. He opened his mouth to advise against calling others names, but the child cut him off.

"YOU'RE NOT THE REAL FREDDY! HE'S NOT THE REAL BONNIE! YOU'RE LIARS!" The boy's face was red with anger and exertion.

Chi gasped, and Mangle made a heartbroken sound. Bon Bon was starting to look angry.

"Now, Mikey, where did you _hear_ such a thing?" Fred tried.

"The _real_ Bonnie," Mike snapped. He pulled himself up to his full height. "And the real Freddy and Chica and Foxy. You're trying to replace them! I _know_ you stole Bonnie's face!" Bon Bon actually managed to look ashamed, but the boy was on a rampage and just turned on his instead. "SO GIVE. IT. BACK!"

That was when the original four decided to make an appearance. Freddy quickly scooped Mike up, restraining him against his hip. Bonnie signed something rapidly at him, and Chica waved her arms up and down in alarm at his actions. Foxy hovered just behind Freddy, watching the toy animatronics with extreme wariness.

"Mike?" Jeremy called and shuffled his way over. He gently grabbed the brunette's hand, and the younger boy's fire died instantly.

"It's not fair," he cried, little tears dropping to Freddy's arm. "It's not fair. They can't just take Bonnie's face, Jeremy. It's not fair."

"I know, Mike," the blonde nodded. "Why don't we ask for it back? And... Chica's (?) arms, if they have them." Jeremy turned back to the newer animatronics, eyes filled with pleading and doubt.

He thought they were safe here. Could maybe stay here.

He wanted to believe they weren't liars like everyone else. Wanted to believe they could be trusted.

"Bon, get the ol' rabbit's face," Fred sighed. He turned his face away from the boys, not wanting to see their looks of dismay. "Mangle, get Chica's arms. Balloon Boy, fetch their voice boxes."

"You tore them apart," Fritz whispered. Chi tried to step forward and comfort him, but the redhead quickly stepped away and lifted his paper plate in defense.

"W-We're sorry, b-b-boys," Mangle offered and dropped Chica's arms at the older chicken's feet. "W-We didn't w-w-w-want you to see t-th-them."

"They killed the security guards at the other locations," Bon Bon muttered and tossed the purple rabbit his face.

"We thought they deserved it," Chi stated, voice shamefully quiet. Balloon Boy helped each of the older animatronics get their voice boxes and missing parts back in place.

Freddy moved his jaw for a minute, adjusting his voice. "If you would have let us explain," his voice came out staticy and soft. "HE changed our protocols, messed with our programming. We didn't know."

"We couldn't have stopped it," Chica added miserably.

"It weren't a choice," Foxy rumbled. He gave into his desire to comfort the still crying Mike.

"I guess y'all deserve an apology," Fred admitted. "We... We should have _listened_ to what you were tryin' ta tell us. Might have saved us from... from bein' shut down..."

"None of us could have known," Bonnie finally intoned. "We didn't know what we were doing, and by the time we had figured it out it was too late. You were just trying to protect the humans. None of us can take any blame."

The room was silent.

-{[(•)]}-

_They city-hopped for a while. No city offered many benefits. One lacked a source of water they could easily get to. Another was difficult to find shelter in. The one after that was impossible to find work._

_When they finally found a city that could support them, they quickly set up jobs, resources, and a place to live. An especially clean alley was protected from the wind and even had a roof. Jeremy helped load trucks in the industrial district, and Mike got a job as an assistant for a secretary._

_As they were walking home one day, they saw a car crashed into the side of a building. They would have ignored it, if it wasn't for the bright flash of red that drew their attention. A small, redheaded boy was sitting outside the car, crying in fright as police men and medics tried to get near him. At the last possible moment, the boy darted away from the scene. He barely missed getting caught by a police officer._

_"Come on! We have to help him!" Mike cried. Jeremy nodded, and they wove their way through the crowd. They ran through alley ways and around traffic. They managed to cut the boy off and hide him just in time for some police officers to run by._

_"I want my Mama!" The boy sobbed as soon as Mike grabbed his hand. "She wouldn't- wouldn't wake up!" Mike frowned sadly and pulled the child in for a hug._

_Jeremy stood awkwardly off to the side for a moment. "What's your name?" He finally asked. The boy wiped his eyes but still looked upset._

_"F-Fritz Smith. I'm six," he held up three fingers on each hand._

_"What happened, Fritz?" The eleven year old continued._

_"Mama said it was time for me to have a little sister, so Daddy was taking us to the doctor place. He was really s-scared and was shaking the car a lot. T-Then he turn-turned too f-fast... And we... we h-hit the building a-and Mama and Daddy were a-asleep and I-I... I couldn't w-wake t-them uh-hup and n-now the bad men are ch-chasing me and... and... AND I JUST WANT MY MAMA!"_

_Mike quickly pulled the child back into his arms. He looked to Jeremy in desperation, and the blonde sadly joined the hug._

_They both agreed to never be the ones to explain the concept of death to Fritz._

-{[(•)]}-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: What is your favorite Disney movie?


	6. Chapter 6

-{[(•)]}-

**{For Maximum Enjoyment of this Chapter's Entertainment, Please Queue Up 'He's A Pirate' from Pirates of the Caribbean and Press Play When Mike Says, "I see..."}**

It was tense for the next three days, trying to adjust with the four new animatronics. Freddy and Fred stayed at opposite ends of the pizzeria, Chi and Chica stayed passive aggressive in the kitchen, Bonnie and Bon Bon refused to talk to anyone, and Foxy and Mangle struggled to live together in the closest thing the Fun Palace had to Pirate's Cove. Marionette and Balloon Boy were the only ones who kept their focus on the three boys. They tried to make sure they were happy and entertained, but the four new animatronics had dug up a lot of emotional issues.

Jeremy had completely given up on finding someone he could trust beyond Mike and Fritz.

There were times Mike just burst into tears and found places to hide while everyone panicked. (You'd think he'd run out of places, but he was a master of hide and seek.)

And Fritz... Poor Fritz. The six year old didn't let anyone touch him except Jeremy and Mike. He stayed very quiet and ate a lot less than normal. It was nerve-wracking.

On the fourth day, Marion woke everyone up with a furious screech.

" _It's enough!_ " He bellowed through the Fun Palace. He moved around the pizzeria and dragged everyone to the main dining hall. "We get it! You feel bad! But your actions are hurting our boys and that! That I won't stand for! Freddy and Fred! You go sit in one of the party rooms and figure yourselves out! If you haven't talked everything through by the time I come in, so _help_ me, I'll-!" He cut himself off.

"Chica and Chi!" He continued. "You both stay as far away from the kitchen as you can and talk about your feelings! For _pizza's_ sake, the passive aggression is stifling! Bonnie and Bon Bon, get your guitars and plan a musical number! Pick a song you both like and practice it _together_!" He paced around for a moment.

"What'll ya' have us do, ya overgrown sock?" Foxy grumbled. His ears twitched in mild irritation, not wanting to talk about his feelings or anything of the nature.

" _You_... You and Mangle play with the boys!" Marion perked up. He spun around on them with a brilliant smile.

"Wha-! I haven't tak'n care of a child in years!" The old fox's jaw dropped.

"Then this is the perfect opportunity! Just remember, Jeremy has a habit of getting too aggressive-"

"Hey!"

"-and Mikey will need to take more breaks than usual to finish recovering, and Fritz gets dizzy very easily so watch out! Have fun!"

The Puppet disappeared in a sudden swoop, taking Balloon Boy with him.

Foxy and Mangle stared at each other for a long moment until they were interrupted by a quiet voice.

"D-Do you not want to play with us?" Mike asked. His hands fidgeted with his fingers and ear lobes. His eyes were welling up, and Foxy was suddenly terrified of Marion's wrath.

"No, no, nawta'tall!" The pirate fumbled. "I mean- Well, wha' ah meant was-"

"Foxy and I-I just d-d-don't know what to play," Mangle reassured, subtly flicking the old fox on the back of the head.

"Why don't we play pirates?" Jeremy snorted and shifted his weight on to one foot. His arms crossed defensively.

"Of course!" Foxy cheered. "Now! Which one ah ya mateys is gonna be ma first mate?"

"I elect Fritz," Mike sniffled. He would love to be the first mate himself, but Fritz had yet to speak or really act like himself.

"Mangle can be the navigator, I'll be just another member of the crew, and Mike can..." Jeremy trailed off. He considered the frail boy for a moment. "Mike can be the lookout."

"Aye, aye!" Mike tried to get everyone in the spirit. He started to run towards Mangle's corner, but he stumbled and would have fallen if Foxy hadn't caught him.

"Whoa, ma little lookout! Can't have ya fall before ya even get in tha crow's nest!" The captain laughed. He lifted the boy up on to his shoulders. "Wha can ya see, ma boy?"

"I see..." Mike awkwardly held his hands in the shape of a telescope. "I see... A beautiful island!" He pointed to one of the dining tables. "There's lots of treasure and... ENENMY PIRATES!"

"Crew! Hoist the main sail, ya scruffy dogs!" Foxy pointed at Jeremy. The blonde snorted.

"I'm pretty sure it's scurvy dogs."

"Ah think dogs are pretty scruffy," the red animatronic grinned. Jeremy scoffed, but smirked and began to imitate pulling ropes and setting up the sail.

"Navigator! Find tha most excitin' route ta booty!"

Mangle glared at him lightly, feeling the term was slightly inappropriate, but she unfurled an imaginary map and began to gesture and plan.

"First mate!" Foxy turned on Fritz. He held out one of the plastic swords they had found in storage from the old restaurant. The redhead eyed the fake weapon warily. "I need ya to man the wheel!"

"C'mon, Fritz!" Mike cheered excitedly, face flushed from all the commotion. He hadn't been up and about like this in a long time.

"Come on, little man," Jeremy nudged him with a wink. Even the blonde seemed happier. This was one of the first times he had been included in a game like this.

Fritz reached out and accepted the sword. When Foxy didn't bite off his head, his face split into a brilliant smile and he shouted, "Aye, Aye, Captain!" He scampered to the front of the 'ship.'

Mangle watched over him with a motherly smile, and Jeremy with a fond, protective look.

"Whoa! Hard to starboard!" Mangle directed, still gesturing at the map. Foxy tilted as Fritz turned the imaginary wheel pretty hard, and everyone on the "ship" began to weave around the tables.

Jeremy actually fell to the ground when the ship "crashed" into the "island".

"Navigator! Where be tha booty?!" Foxy called as he helped push the tables together so they could have a bigger island. He was helping the boys off the ship when Mangle marked one of the tablecloths with a red crayon.

There was now a winding trail from the ship, around the island, to a big red 'X'. Jeremy suppressed a laugh at the sheer cliche of it, but the younger boys were eager and excited.

Until they noticed something.

"We need enemy pirates," Fritz whispered, tugging at Foxy's pant leg.

"Aye, we do, matey," the animatronic rubbed his chin. "And I know jus' where ta find 'em!" He picked up the plastic swords and began to hand them out. "Come, me mateys! Today we claim this land for ourselves!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Mike cheered. The fox could have winked at him, but it was hard to tell with the eyepatch.

"Today we take tha booty!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Fritz joined in.

"Today, we are PIRATES!"

"AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN!" Everyone shouted.

"CHARGE!" Captain Foxy bellowed and led his fantastic crew through the pizzeria to the murmuring bears. "Thar be enemy pirates, me first mate! Attack!"

The animatronics stayed behind, snickering, as all three boys leapt on the bears. Freddy cried out in shock as his top hat was knocked into his eyes. Fred jumped about a foot in the air, his bow tie spinning in surprised circles.

"Rawr!" Fritz cried and lightly whacked the bears with his sword. "We- hehehe- got you! Give us- hehe- your booties!"

The bears finally realized what was going on and gave each other a playful challenging look. At the same time, they stood up, held up their paws like a classic playful dad-monster, and began to chase the boys around the room. Fred scooped up Fritz, spinning him around like an airplane. Freddy picked up Mike, ticking his sides until he screamed.

"What's going on in here?!" Chica demanded as she and Chi burst into the room. Jeremy ran past them, laughing wildly and trying to get to safety.

Mike fell to the floor and giggled like a madman. Fritz collapsed beside him, also laughing, but made sure to check if he was breathing okay.

"We're playin' with tha littl' ones," Foxy grinned. "We're pirates."

"Of course," Chica chuckled and rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Chi. Let's make them snac- I mean, treasure." The younger bird watched the scene for a moment with surprise and fondness. She followed her older sister shortly after.

"What are you dragging us in here for, brat?" Bon Bon demanded as Jeremy pulled the rabbits into the room.

"We need battle music," the blonde smirked. "Unless you want to be enemy pirates...?"

"No!" The cool animatronics cried in synch.

"Here, I have some instrumental music from one of those pirate adventure movies," Bonnie offered, pulling out some folded pieces of papers.

"Where'd you get those? We only have the music for our shows and old songs from previous locations," Bon Bon leaned over his shoulder in interest.

"Before _He_ changed our programming, there was a night guard that printed stuff for us off the Internet. Chica got new recipes, Freddy got some new jokes, and I got some sheet music. These are the only ones I have left," the purple animatronic stroked the papers sadly.

"It's only half the song?" Bon Bon raised a stenciled eyebrow.

"Yeah, most of the sheets got lost when we were deactivated. Managed to slip these behind my chest piece."

The animatronics shared a moment of silence for the lost music.

"Alright, well, do you want to play chords or lead?" The blue bunny questioned, scanning the music and programming it into his memory files.

"I've played lead so many times..." Bonnie snorted.

"Glad you could work that out!" Jeremy clapped his hands. Both animatronics jumped, having forgotten he was there. "Looks like Fritz and Mike are ready to go again, so hop to it!"

"We cannot let ourselves be defeated, mateys!" Foxy cried. "We've got ta get tha' booty!"

"Quickly! T-T-To the buried t-treasure!" Mangle chirped and led the group back to the main room. Fred gaped at the mess they had made in their first few minutes of play, and Freddy snickered quietly into his paw.

"CHARGE AGAIN!" Captain Foxy cried. The rabbits began to play _He's A Pirate_ , just as Chica and Chi returned to place a plate of cookies on the red 'X'. Fred and Freddy were ready for the boys this time.

Soon, everyone was running around the room, dodging each other and jumping across chairs and tables. The animatronics stayed on the ground, simply for the fact that it would hurt their joints and servos to jump around so much. But the boys took full advantage of that fact.

Mike had to sit after fifteen minutes, but he happily sat in Chica's lap and cheered everyone else on. Bon Bon and Bonnie grinned at each other, so happy to play music with and for someone else. Fred and Freddy relished the thought of entertaining some little ones again. Chica and Chi laughed at the happy atmosphere of the pizzeria and were satisfied that everyone was acting like a family again.

Marionette leaned against the entrance to the main hall and watched everyone enjoy themselves. Balloon Boy chirped a curious 'Hello?' and the Puppet smiled down at him.

"Everyone's happy again. But we can't keep any more secrets or our boys will never be happy again.

"We have to tell them about Springtrap."

-{[(•)]}-

_The three boys wandered for a while. They had to leave the city again since the police were still looking for Fritz. The next city had a big empty warehouse, another bustling business district, and a surprisingly warm river._

_Life was easy and comfortable for them._

_Fritz was a little light in their lives after all the hardships they'd been through. He loved to play, and sing, and dance. He drew pictures with anything he could get his hands on. He asked them to tell him stories before bedtime, and bathing in the river was one of the highlights of their day._

_They were finally happy._

-{[(•)]}-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: If you could be any animal, what would you choose? Would you be something big and powerful, or something smaller and cuter? Sometimes I think I would want to be a cat, because then I could twist and stretch to get all the kinks out of my spine. But sometimes I would want to be a bird, so I can fly.


	7. Chapter 7

-{[(•)]}-

It was midnight, and everyone was powered down or asleep. The building had become a bit crowded with so many occupants, so everyone was paired off to sleep in different room.

Loud banging on the backdoor startled some of the nearby animatronics into powering up.

One of them was Bonnie, who decided to investigate. He peered around the corner into the small space that housed the back door. His ears jerked up in surprise at the sight that met his optics.

"Oh _no_."

The rabbit quickly darted away to get the others.

_He_ was back.

-[]-

"Everyone get to the security office! It's an emergency!" Bonnie whisper-shouted into each room he passed.

"Wha'?" Foxy slurred softly, stumbling after him. "Wha's tha problem?"

"I'll tell you when everyone's safe!" The purple animatronic responded anxiously.

Everyone was crowded into the small office, and the large entrance was quickly covered.

"What's happening?" Jeremy asked as he sat up. Bonnie shuffled back and forth, panicking too much to speak for a moment.

"He's back!"

Tired glares met the rabbit's soft exclamation.

"Who?" Freddy snapped and adjusted his bowtie. Fred nodded the sentiment beside him, rubbing one of his optics to remove some specks of dust.

"Him!" Bonnie waved his arms frantically. "The one who took the form of Golden Bonnie!"

There were a few gasps.

"Who?" Jeremy repeated irritably.

"He... He's evil," Chi twittered, flapping her hands worriedly. "He... _killed_ children at our restaurants!"

Mangle made an odd hiccuping sound and Balloon Boy hid under the desk that had been pushed against the large entrance.

"He _what_?!" Mike suddenly cried. "No! No no _no_!"

"Mike?" Jeremy questioned, reaching out to settle the eight year old. "What's wrong?"

" _Fritz went to get some water_!"

-[]-

The redhead hummed quietly, filling up the paper cup. The kitchens were unusually warm- probably from all the baking Chica and Chi did now.

He sipped at his water for a moment, thinking. He was glad they had found a home. He missed his mommy and daddy sometimes, but they went to the special place, so now he had Mike and Jeremy. It had been scary living outside though, especially when someone got sick or the bad men found them. He'd always wanted a cool house like this, with lots of friends and food.

Finished pondering, the six year old wandered out into the dining area. He thought he saw a shadow moving on the other side, but nothing had hurt them since they came here, so he wasn't worried.

Unless it was a dog. He got attacked by a dog once and now he didn't like any of them. They were _scary_.

The boy moved past the party rooms just in time to see a flash of _something_ disappearing into the vent. He also noticed that the animatronics who slept there, weren't there. Where'd they go?

By the time he reached their room, he was starting to get nervous. He hadn't seen _anybody_! Did they all leave him? He didn't want anyone else to leave him! He couldn't miss everyone else too! What if they went to the special place without him?!

He stopped short at the wall that seemed to have suddenly appeared. He reached out and pushed at it lightly, feeling the firmness.

"Guys?" He called tearfully. "Jerry? Mikey?" When no answer came, he touched the wall again, "Hello?"

-[]-

It was after Mike's announcement that everyone really began to panic. They started to pull at their makeshift wall, trying to get out and drag the six year old to safety.

That's when they heard it.

Something was coming through the vents!

Mike started to cry, weeping weakly into Jeremy's shoulder. The eleven year old stood as tall as possible, though he still looked quite terrified. The animatronics quickly moved the remaining furniture in front of the vent openings.

"What if it's Fritz?!" Mike sobbed. "What if he's a zombie now?!"

"He's not a zombie," Jeremy assured, not adding on the small 'I think' that wanted to escape. "We'll stop the evil guy and then we'll rescue Fritz and everything will be okay, right?"

"No! Fritz is out there with a murderer! He's gonna... gonna-"

"Mike, you gotta breathe!"

"I-I can't!"

"Ya couldn't speak if ya couldn't breathe," Foxy grumbled, but he looked anxious. He came over and gently pulled the eight year old to his chest. "You'll see, little one. Captain and Fred over there can fight off anyone who tries ta hurt you boys." Mike hiccuped but seemed to calm some.

"He's gone," Bon Bon announced. "We could use the other vent to get out there and grab Fritz?"

"We'll have to be quick! We need someone small and fast to go!" Fred ordered.

Balloon Boy darted over, waving his arms wildly. Before anyone could object, he disappeared through the vent.

"Well, at least he's good for _something_ ," Bon Bon muttered.

-[]-

Fritz started to cry after a few minutes of no one answering him. He kept trying to call for them through his tears, but it was difficult. His breathing was getting rough, and he was getting a little light headed. His legs were getting weak, so let himself _plop_ down to the ground.

"Hello," a soft voice called. The redhead jumped and turned around. Through the tears, the boy could make out the vague shape of a rabbit. He held out his arms, sniffling. "Are you hurt, child?" The yellow animatronic scooped him up, carefully placing him away from any exposed wires or damaged parts. Fritz shook his head.

"N-no," he whimpered. He rubbed his eyes. "Everybody left!"

"They did not leave," the rabbit assured. "They are hiding, from me I presume."

"You? Why?" Fritz questioned. "Who are you?"

"I am... an old friend," the animatronic murmured. "Some bad things happened, and they do not like me much anymore."

"That's sad!" The six year old frowned. "They should forgive you! Jerry and Mikey always forgive me when I mess up, and so did Mommy and Daddy!"

"That is why I am here," a crooked, broken grin emerged. "I will ask for their forgiveness."

"And when they forgive you they can fix you up and help you feel better!" The little boy smiled, a small gap in his teeth. The animatronic liked this one; it was adorable.

"Hello?" A timid voice called. "Hi! Hello! Hi!"

"BB!" Fritz beamed, looking around his new friend to see the helium-filled animatronic. "Look! I found your friend!"

"Ah, Balloon Child-" the yellow rabbit began, but the smaller animatronic squeaked in fright and began to retreat. "No! Wait!"

"He just wants to say sorry!" Fritz cried, squirming to chase after the little robot. But BB was gone. "Why'd he do that?"

"They are scared of me..." The rabbit whispered. "I knew it, but I did not understand it. I suppose I must take my leave."

"No!" The redhead scowled. "Tell me your name and I'll go make them listen."

"My name is Springtrap," the rabbit sighed. "You may try, child, but they will not listen. I have done much and do not deserve forgiveness."

"Springy, no! We'll get this all figured out, and then we can all be friends!" Fritz insisted. He pushed himself down and darted away. "Stay there!"

Springtrap sighed with a smile and sat on the tiled floor.

-[]-

"Guys!" Fritz called and crawled through the vent. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this before! He even saw Springtrap try to go in! "It's Fritz! I gotta talk to you!"

"Fritz?!"

Jeremy pulled him out of the vent and gave him a crushing hug. Mike worried over him, checking for injuries.

"Oh, we were so worried! Are you okay? What did he do to you? How are you? Did he hurt you? Are you injured? What did he say? Balloon Boy saw you! Oh, please, don't scare me like that again!" The brunette rambled.

"What? No, you've got it all wrong! He's really nice, and he just wants to apologize! He was so friendly and he made me feel better and-"

"Fritz, he _killed_ people," Mike fretted, stroking the vibrant red hair. "He hurt kids!"

"That doesn't make sense!" Fritz shouted. "He just wants to be friends again! He's really sad and upset!"

"He _lied_ to you!" Jeremy snapped. "He wants to destroy everybody! He's evil!"

"No... No!" Fritz shrieked. "Just talk to him! You'll see!"

"Fine!" Foxy snarled. "Let's talk to tha scum, an' then we can tell 'im ta get lost!" The old animatronic ripped into the makeshift wall, bringing it down with a loud _CRSSSSH_.

Springtrap stood hesitantly on the other side of the wall; he made no moves towards any of the animatronics or children. Fred and Freddy stepped forward, postures defensive.

"Springtrap," Freddy greeted lowly.

"I came to apologize," the rabbit gulped softly. "I regret all that I have done, and that _He_ made me do. I-" He broke down for a moment, flinching and fidgeting. "I cannot stand the thought of all that has... occurred at _my_ hands."

He made a sound suspiciously like a sob.

"If you do not wish for my return, then there shall not be one-"

Everyone was startled by the bright flash of gold that filled the room.

"Spring!" A golden bear darted forward.

"Goldie?" Springtrap whimpered. They embraced.

"Ah'm so sorry," 'Goldie' breathed. "I saw what was happening and did nothing to stop it. I could have, I could have prevented most of it, I suppose. But _He_ used me just as much!" The bear turned to the rest of the animatronics. "It wasn't Spring's fault! _He_ messed with our programming, messed with our _parts_! We had no choice!"

"This seems to be a recurring theme," Marion muttered.

"We'll forgive you," Fred offered to the distraught animatronics. "We'll always forgive what you couldn't control."

"Thank you," Springtrap practically wept. "Thank you!"

-{[(•)]}-

_They were finally happy..._

_Right until Mike got so sick he couldn't walk. The cold weather started to set in, and the river started to freeze. Their resources dropped away one by one until they were desperate._

_Jeremy remembered the homeless shelter and soup kitchen he had seen several times on his way to work. Maybe they could get help for Mike!_

_The people were very friendly and caring. They gave them warm beds and medicine and food like they hadn't had in months. They carried Mike and Fritz everywhere, and the other homeless people taught Jeremy how to play poker._

_Everything changed when the police arrived._

_They went for Mike and Fritz first. The six year old panicked and managed to escape out the back door, but Mike was too sick to even get out of bed._

_Jeremy could still remember his best friend's struggle for breath as the police officer carried him out to the car._

_Then the police tried to get Jeremy to go with them. When he refused, they tried to physically steer him in to the car, promising it was for his own good._

_He fought them off with everything he had. He ripped open the car door and quickly carried Mike away. The police might have been able to stop him if he hadn't thought to hide in the first dumpster he found. The only reason he even won the fight against them was because he played dirty and kept outwitting them._

_Fritz came to them later that night, shivering and weak with fear. Jeremy snuggled his boys close and swore to never go to another homeless shelter. They hid out until the morning came, then they hopped on the next bus to the nearest city._

_Jeremy thought the view from the window might have been familiar, but he dismissed it and cautiously fell asleep._

-{[(•)]}-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: What is your favorite kind of YouTuber to watch?


	8. Chapter 8

-{[(•)]}-

Jeremy jolted upright. His chest expanded and deflated like balloon, and sweat poured down his face in buckets. He lifted shaking hands to wipe his eyes. The sounds of gentle breathing to his left soothed him. He quietly glanced over, seeing Mike and Fritz curled together and sleeping peacefully.

Slowly, Jeremy pushed himself up, the blankets gliding off of him like water, and silently exited the room. He found himself wandering through the halls to the kitchen. The chilled tiles shocked his feet with every step, and the shadows gathered behind him in an army of darkness.

"I-I know they've forgiven me," he heard a quiet, hiccuping voice. "B-But, I just feel so _guilty_."

"Spring, it wasn't like you had any kind of choice. You are as much of a victim as those poor kids," a deeper, crackling voice assured.

"That doesn't change that their... their _blood_ is on my hands!" Springtrap insisted. "Goldie, there was a little boy, not even three years old. He wandered away from his parents for _two minutes_ , and he- h-he was... he was _gone_." The golden rabbit made a horrible gasping noise. "He couldn't even- even speak, really. Just little, cute sentences. He was so _scared_ , and I-I just... I just..."

Jeremy pushed himself into the room. He stumbled trough the dim lighting and threw his arms around the weeping animatronic. The rabbit stiffened, gasping silently. Ferociously, the blonde held on.

"W-What are you-" the bunny whimpered.

"I'm still not a hundred percent sure how hugs works, but I'm tryin' here, ar'ight?" Jeremy snapped. The rabbit hiccuped, then gradually began to relax.

"Why are you hugging me?" Springtrap questioned.

"Because it's okay. It might not feel like it right now. But... everything will get better. And you'll have people who will support you, and... and..." The eleven year old sat back, rubbing his eyes. His entire body slumped forward.

"Why are you up, um... Jerry, was it it?" Goldie asked, reminding them of his presence.

"Jeremy," the tween corrected. He yawned his way into his next sentence. "Couldn't really sleep."

The boy hesitated for a long moment before he continued. "I've been on the other side, Springtrap. I was really little, when my ma passed away. Everything spiraled out of my control, 'cause I was just a kid, right? And my dad hurt me... And I ran away and found Mike and Fritz, and they were hurting and I couldn't do anything to stop it." He took a deep breath. "I know how it feels to have everything out of your hands and feel guilty anyway. Sometimes, you just have to forgive yourself."

"I-I-" Spring stuttered, shaking his head. Jeremy just hugged him closer.

"Look, I'm not good at this whole comfortin' thing, okay?" The eleven year old scowled. "That's more of Mike's gig. If you want him, I can go get him. He'll be happy to set you straight. And Fritz already loves you. He'd hate to learn you were so upset and know he didn't do anything. I'll get him up to. And we'll prove to you that you don't have to blame yourself. It wasn't _your_ fault."

"Why don't-" The rabbit fumbled. He played with his robotic fingers, plucking at the wiring. "Why aren't you scared of me?"

"You are _literally_ a giant, fluffy bunny. And even when you had the chance, you _didn't_ hurt Fritz. You're sitting here crying, when someone _could_ be _fixing_ you. You keep rejecting people's forgiveness. You just seem pretty... harmless," Jeremy lectured. "Now, come on. Fritz'll be happy to see you." The blonde grabbed the animatronic's hand and dragged him out of the kitchen. Springtrap let him, walking quickly to help.

Fritz and Mike were still asleep when they got to their room, making Spring hesitate. But Jeremy just tugged him along and forced him to sit next to the slumbering redhead. The six year old easily stirred. At the sight of the yellow rabbit, his entire face brightened, and he pulled himself into the animatronic's lap. He mumbled a little bit, then trustingly fell asleep.

Springtrap's eyes brightened in surprise and hope. Jeremy smiled softly; Fritz was the light of everybody's lives.

The animatronic carefully snuggled the six year old closer, barely letting himself touch the child's shoulder. Seeing his caution, Jeremy laid down and let himself fall asleep.

Springtrap wouldn't let anything bad happen.

-{[(•)]}-

_Fritz giggled excitedly and ran in a circle, his arms out like airplane wings. He made a bright whooshing noise, stumbled a little over a rock, picked himself up, and ended up collapsing in a fit of giggles anyway._

_"Be careful," Mike called, weakly but with a smile. He laid on a blanket, absorbing the sunlight and fresh air. A gentle breeze toyed with his fluffy hair; they had recently bathed with some soap Jeremy was able to buy!_

_Jeremy sat nearby, holding one of the water bottles and drinking lazily. He had found this little field on the edge of town. He knew the boys would love it. The grass was lush and green, with flowers blooming here and there. The spring weather was perfect for playing._

_"Jerry, Jerry, play with me!" Fritz bounded over and tugged at one of his arms. With a laugh, the blonde allowed himself to be pulled up._

_"What are we playing?"_

_"I dunno! But I'm an airplane, and I fly around, and save people who are hurt!" Fritz grinned. He also stuck his arms out, as though to prove he was an airplane. Jeremy stifled a chuckle._

_"Well, then, I guess I'll be someone who's hurt! And you gotta save me!" The eleven year old dramatically swooned and fell down in the grass._

_"Oh no!" The redhead yelped. He ran around Jeremy in circles. "Don' worry! I'll save you!" He made another comically inaccurate 'airplane' noise and knelt beside his friend. "Sir, where does it hurt, sir?"_

_"Ah!" Jeremy gasped, reaching for the sun. Mike giggled softly in the background. "I'm dying, airplane rescue... person... thing? I-I see a light!"_

_"Jerry," Fritz frowned._

_"My heart!" Jeremy quickly clarified. "Something must be wrong with my heart!"_

_"Okay! I gotta... I gotta... I gotta defribrilate the aorta valve!" The six year old cried. He rubbed his hands together in circles- "1... 2... 3... Clear!" -and slammed them down on Jeremy's chest._

_The tween actually jumped from surprise, but he quickly covered it up with a few full-body shakes, acting like he'd actually been hit with electricity._

_"It's not working!" Mike cried, feigning tears._

_"Uh... Uh, we might have to do it again! 1... 2... 3... Clear!"_

_This time, Jeremy was ready, and he shook theatrically before falling down once more and sticking his tongue out. His hands and fingers still twitched, and he randomly kicked his leg for good measure._

_"You have to do something else! We're loosing him! Blood pressure, um, dropping!" Mike called out._

_"CPR!" Fritz yelled. "Everybody always gets saved by CPR!" He quickly sat up and began pushing on Jeremy's chest. The blonde restrained laughs; it really tickled! Fritz plugged his friend's nose, opened his mouth, and gave him a kiss on the cheek._

_"What?!" Jeremy finally burst into laughter. "No mouth-to-mouth?! Does my breath stink or something?"_

_"Kissing is gross!" Fritz stuck his tongue out and shook his head. The older boys laughed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: Kind of a weird question - Do you have any memories with fields? When I was younger, my dad took me to this big empty field near our house for me to learn how to drive.


	9. Chapter 9

-{[(•)]}-

Mike finished up the last bits of his lunch, watching Jeremy, Fritz, Foxy, Mangle, Balloon Boy, and Springtrap playing together. The storyline was convoluted and incomprehensible at this point, but everyone seemed to be having fun. The bear and bunny animatronics were at a table behind him; their conversation didn't sound very serious, so Mike didn't bother listening. Chica and Chi were in the kitchen, washing dishes and giggling to each other. Marion was spending some alone time in his box, now that everything seemed to have calmed down.

" _Mikey_!" Fritz whined and darted over. "Come play with us!" He grabbed the eight year old's hand and tugged. The older boy laughed lightly and shook his head.

"I gotta finish my drink! Then I'll go over there, I promise," the brunette assured. Fritz huffed at him and pouted, but the brown eyed boy easily went back to the game.

Mike continued watching as he sipped at his apple juice. He didn't bother hiding his fond amusement at the other's antics. Jeremy was being overly dramatic to compensate for the fact he had no idea what was going on. Foxy was naturally dramatic, but his desire to always lead the game caused a few clashes with Mangle. Springtrap was hesitant to really involve himself; then Fritz would send him a smile and suddenly the golden bunny was back in the game.

Soon, Mike found his cup empty. He grabbed his other dishes (and those of the other boys) and carried them into the kitchen. It was as he was coming back, he noticed the figure lurking in the entryway.

"Freddy?" Mike called softly. He bit his lip and hurried over to the bear. "Who's that?" The bear looked at him in surprise then followed his gaze to the mystery person.

" _Oh no..._ "

No sooner had the animatronic mumbled the words, the person stormed into the dining hall and managed to grab Fritz and Jeremy. Fritz yelped in surprise at the sudden tug on his arm, while Jeremy angrily yelled at the sharp grip on his ear.

"No!" Mike panicked. "Let go!" His breathing quickened rapidly, and he rushed towards his friends. A robotic arm jutted into his path and carefully pulled him back. "Foxy?" The eight year old questioned tearfully.

" _What_ are you doing in here?" The strange woman demanded. She yanked on Jeremy's ear, making him cry out. "This is a private establishment!"

Fred growled suddenly and took a step forward. The woman looked up at him fearfully, then her face hardened into a stern glare.

"You!" She scowled. She pulled at Fritz, and he whimpered at the extreme tension in the room. "This location is no longer in operation! No one is allowed to be in here!"

"They needed helped!" Bon Bom protested. "There's no way we could have left them out there!"

" _They_ are not your concern! You're scheduled for permanent termination, today, and _these_ brats will be going straight to... to an orphanage or foster home or _CPS for all I care_!" The adult shouted.

"Who is she?" Mike whispered to Foxy as he finally began to cry. If... If they went to CPS then he'd never get to see Jeremy or Fritz ever again, and Jeremy would go back to his mean dad, and Fritz could end up with some horrible family who hated him, and-

"Mikey, lad, breathe," Foxy rubbed his back gently. "We won't let anything happen to ya." As if to confirm, Freddy and Bonnie were already moving towards the woman. "An' she's... She's tha manager who ran this place, before." Mike hiccuped and nodded. He clung to the fox's side.

"Let tha boys go, Ma'am," Freddy warned, holding his hands out carefully.

"Oh, _please_!" The manager snapped. "You all know what has to happen. These brats can't live in an empty restaurant! They need to be taken care of, by _humans_. You all knew this day was coming!"

"Springy!" Fritz pleaded. The yellow rabbit had been suspiciously quiet, but now he stepped forward. His eyes glinted dangerously.

"Let them _go_ ," he demanded.

"W-w-we've taken b-better ca-care of them than-n any hum-m-man ever h-has!" Mangle cried, voice fluctuating wildly with emotion.

"Hello!" Ballon Boy yelled in agreement.

"A-All of you, stay away!" The woman shrieked. She stumbled backwards, painfully dragging the boys with her. "These brats have to go to a _real_ family. All of y-you are being shut down or relocated!"

"They _are_ our real family!" Jeremy screamed suddenly and kicked the manager in the shin. She cried out in surprise, giving him time to pick up Fritz and run to Mike's side. The animatronics were also still for a moment from sheer shock.

Jeremy had never acknowledged them in such a way before.

"You have to let us stay with them!" Jeremy continued to shout at the top of his lungs, sounding hoarse. "They feed us and take care of us and love us, which is more than I can say for any 'family' I had before! They're _more_ than robots! They have feelings and they can think for themselves! They're as _real_ as any family!"

"That's _not_ how the world works!" The manager snarled. She pushed herself back up with a ferocious expression. "They're machines! They don't feel anything but codes and pre-programmed responses! And they're property of Fazbear Entertainment! We _own_ them, and they have to do what we say! And it's by _company_ order that these _animatronics_ are shut down and relocated!"

"No! No!" Mike sobbed. Foxy tried to soothe him, but it didn't work.

"Please! You can't!" Fritz begged.

"They're not _property_ , darn it! They're alive!" Jeremy roared.

The boys continued to yell and cry, but by now, most of the animatronics just looked resigned. Chica, Chi, and Marion had come out to see what was the matter. Marion was outraged at seeing the boys in such a state, but he was held back by a very solemn Golden Freddy.

" _Please_ ," Fred pleaded. "Can't we work _something_ out? These boys, they're strong. But they _need_ us."

The woman straightened herself out, smoothing her skirt and adjusting her hair. She glared at them for a long moment, before her eyes rested on the boys. Gradually, they began to soften. She sighed, rubbed her temples, and pulled out her phone.

"I'm not saying the company will do anything..." She sniffed at them, nose in the air. "...but I'll see what I can do." She moved with sharp, purposeful strides back outside.

Jeremy took the opportunity to turn on the animatronics.

"Did you _know_ this was gonna happen?" He growled. "Did you know she was gonna come and try to shut you down?" Slowly, Fred nodded.

"We're sorry... We thought..." Chi started to make hopeless noises, as though she was crying as well.

"We thought we could talk to her before she found you..." Bon Bon admitted. Balloon Boy chirped a sad 'hi'.

" _Really_ ," Marion rolled his mask up to the ceiling and pushed his way out of Golden Freddy's hold. "As fun as this all _is_ , why don't I just... _send_ her away?" His eyes flickered dangerously, and Freddy seemed to rumble in agreement. But Fritz quickly stepped in.

"You can't just send people away 'cause you don't like 'em!" He whispered loudly. He tugged at the front of Marion's body, like it was a shirt. "And you can't hurt 'em 'cause they're mean, either!"

"I dunno, Fritz," Jeremy huffed. He cracked his knuckles. "If she tries anything, I'm just gonna start swinging."

"Please," Mike breathed, quickly getting tried from crying so much. Foxy scooped him up and snuggled him closer. "Please don't fight, Jeremy." The eleven year old lowered his fists with an irritated sigh, but he didn't argue.

The manager reentered at that moment, looking like she'd eaten something particularly sour. All of her body language was stiff and uncomfortable, but she forced a smile on to her face.

"Turns out the President was moved was your little sob story. He's working on getting the paperwork to adopt you boys, as we speak," she announced. Everyone gaped at her for a moment, before Mike's quiet voice stuttered back to life.

"W-What about them?" He gestured to the animatronics.

"Well, the Toys and Goldens will be relocated to the company warehouse, where they can spend the rest of their robotic retirement in peace. The Originals are being fixed up, and relocated to their new restaurant," the manager answered.

"Will we ever see them again?" Fritz asked.

"Seeing as the President lives in the company building, I'm sure you'll be able to visit your friends at the warehouse whenever it makes your little hearts content. As for the others, it'll be a bit of a drive, but I'm sure you'll make the time. Now, if that's all, I need to call the men in here so they can load you into the trucks," the woman snapped slightly, tapping her foot.

"I-I guess... This is goodbye for now," Mike looked up into Foxy's face. "But! We'll come see you guys again as soon as we can!"

"Yeah! We're gonna play together every day, and..." Fritz rambled on, running to each animatronic and giving them a big hug.

"See ya," Jeremy grumbled. Chi quickly pulled him in and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. The blonde squawked and jumped away from her defensively.

Everyone roared with laughter.

-{[(•)]}-

_"That's Orion," Mike mumbled. His finger traced some pattern in the sky that Fritz couldn't see. "There's his belt, and his big shoulders, and his little, tiny head."_

_"Oh! What's that one?" The six year old pointed to a random part of the sky._

_"That's..." Mike's voice seemed to trail off as Jeremy stared deep into the sky. The stars were amazing from the rooftops out here. But it was cold, and he could see the other boys shivering._

_"-my. Jeremy. Jeremy!" Mike's voice brought him back into focus again. "You were..._ spacing _out." Fritz giggled, and Jeremy groaned slightly. He pushed himself into sitting upright and looked over at the other's for a long moment._

_"I'm just... worried," he finally admitted, with a casual shrug._

_"About what?" Fritz snuggled into his side like the little snuggle bug that he was._

_"Us, mostly, I guess," Jeremy frowned. "Mike gets sick easily, and I can only work so much, and you can't keep up with us when we run. One day, we're going to get caught. Or we're going to run out of supplies. I just... I don't want anything bad to happen to you."_

_"It's okay, Jeremy," Mike smiled gently. "We'll stick together like always, and we'll always figure it out." He let his smile fade away. "Thank you. For taking care of us."_

_"No problem..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: Pick three animatronics - Who would you cosplay, marry, and kill?


	10. Epilogue

-{[(-_•*•_-)]}-

The three boys raced excitedly along the sunlight hallway. The only light came from the thick beams of sunlight that shone through the wall of windows, but it was more than enough. It was finally starting to warm up. A trill of happiness tore through the boys at the thought of summer, making Jeremy and Fritz begin to jump up and down, chattering.

"Guys! Wait up!" Mike protested, carefully maneuvering his chair down the hall.

After each of the boys had their first doctor visit, they discovered Mike's legs had been damaged by the amount of time sitting and sleeping. He could stand and walk, but running just caused him pain and made him feel weak. So, to let him keep up with the boys, Mr. Armel got Mike a wheelchair.

Mike liked it because he didn't get tired as easily. And he could always have a blanket with him, laid over his lap. But mostly, Mike could finally play with the boys.

"Aw, c'mon!" Jeremy hollered. "You can go a lot faster than that, scaredy cat!" Mike looked up with a grin that was equal parts agreeing and anxious.

"Can I push you?!" Fritz giggled. Mike nodded easily, and soon they were streaking down the hall again. "Let's go downstairs!"

" _Yes_ ," Jeremy agreed _vehemently_.

They climbed in the elevator, chatting to each other and planning and laughing all the way down. When they arrived at the bottom, Jeremy pushed Mike out onto the cement floor, giving Fritz time to announce their arrival.

"YOU GUYS!" He yelled, hands cupped around his mouth and rocking on his heels. "WE'RE HEEERRRRREEEE!"

Suddenly, they were surrounded by animatronics, squawking and cheering and asking things and dancing and greeting them.

"Look! They finished 're repairs!" Foxy presented his new arm and wiggled his new jaw.

"We gotta show you the new kitchen they put in for us!" Chi squealed.

"Some of the workhouse guys are really nice and build us special rooms!" Springtrap smiled, if a bit shyly.

"Hello!" Balloon Boy chirped and wrapped his arms around their legs.

"And we missed you _sooooo_ much!" Marion swooned, dropping dramatically in front of the boys. Mike giggled and reached out to help the silly puppet up.

The room seemed to stop short.

Freddy roared suddenly, darting forward and looking at Mike from every angle. Chica and Mangle were making worried noises to each other, and Marion's eyes had gone horribly dark.

"What _happened_?!" Bon Bon demanded, and he started checking over Jeremy as well. Foxy was screeching something awful in the background.

Springtrap was at Fritz's side in an instant, scooping him up and settling him on the rabbit's hip. Bonnie stepped up beside him; he looked concerned, but angry.

"Mike," Fred breathed, terribly upset. "How on earth did ya end up in a... in a wheelchair?"

"It's barely been a month!" Foxy howled. "That sick bas-"

"Oh!" Mike lit up. "Mr. Armel got me a wheelchair 'cause my legs don't really work. I got sick too much while we were... outside, so I couldn't walk or work my mus... muscles very much."

"He's working with a physical therapist," Jeremy sounded a bit proud. "He'll be up and running any day now."

"Ohhhh," a collective sigh of relief went through the animatronics.

"Well... Let's go see all the cool stuff!" Fritz cheered. The other quickly perked up and agreed.

-{[(*)]}-

The day before the Originals were sent to their new restaurant, the unconventional family held a _huge_ party in the warehouse! Chica and Chi cooked enough pizza and cake to feed an army. Bonnie and Bon Bon supplied music, with Springtrap hesitantly joining them. Fred, Freddy, and Goldie took up a table just to tell each other (and anyone who would listen) terrible jokes. Foxy and Mangle played with the boys and started a dance party. Balloon Boy toddled from group to group, cheerfully greeting everyone and handing out balloon animals.

And Mr. Armel stayed with the boys, letting them drag him all over the place.

"And these, these are the special charging stations!" Mike grinned, eyes sparkling. "It makes them feel like they're sleeping in a real bed! And, I found a way to program them with dreams and stuff! It's really great, and I'm so happy for them-"

"And this is the kitchen!" Fritz posed dramatically, gesturing to the neat but homey space. There were a few more cakes and pizzas on the counter, and Mr. Armel thought he might be sick. "Chica and Chi love to cook, but Mangle helps too! And Balloon Boy gets them utensils and stuff like an assistant! Foxy just liked to steal the frosting..."

"I do na'!" Foxy yelled across the room.

"Yes you do!" Jeremy shouted back, accompanied by a few other voices.

"Freddy! Freddy!" Mike led Mr. Armel over to the table. "Look!"

"I see that!" The old bear laughed. "How do ya do, Mr. President, sir?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" Mr. Armel smiled warmly. "And please, just call me Eamon! You might if I join you?"

"Not at all!" Fred assured and gestured to an empty spot at the table.

"We're gonna go keep playing!" Fritz whispered loudly, though they couldn't tell who it was to.

"Alright," several voices whispered back. After the redhead left, the men began to laugh with each other. They easily settled, starting a new conversation about the future.

"Well, of course Foxy, Chica, Bonnie, and Freddy are going to have their own restaurant. As we see how that goes, it's very likely that we'll open up another restaurant for the remaining Toys and Golden animatronics," Mr. Armel explained. "As for the boys..." The man looked over at the children fondly. The bears glanced at each other. "They'll stay here with me, but they'll be free to visit you whenever they like. As long as it doesn't conflict with any schoolwork."

"And you'll... You'll make sure they're always safe?" Fred finally voices what they'd all been worrying about.

"I can't always be there," Mr. Armel reminded quietly. "But I will do thorough background checks on anyone I hire to interact with them, and I will make regular visits to the school. I'm going to memorize their medical files and plans personal days and-"

"We trust you," Goldie patted the man's shoulder. "You'll do fine."

Mr. Armel gave a sigh of relief.

-{[(*)]}-

"I dunno, Jeremy," Mike mumbled. "What if no one likes me? What if they call me names and steal my stuff and trip me?"

"Well, you don't have to worry about that last one," Jeremy straightened Fritz's tie. "Since you're in a wheelchair. But I think you've been watching too much tv since we got here. If anyone's mean, you just tell me and I'll take care of it."

"Nope!" Mr. Armel's voice came from the doorway. The boys looked up in surprise. "It's not your job to take care of them. Now, you can just be a kid, learn to have fun and worry about kid things. If you have problems, you come to me. I will deal with it."

Jeremy looked angry for a moment, then, as he glared into Mr. Armel's eyes, something seemed to shift. His eyes flooded with tears and he slowly sank to the floor.

"Jeremy!" Mike cried out in fright. But Mr. Armel was already there, gathering Jeremy up and muttering soothing things.

"Is Jeremy okay?" Fritz questioned worriedly. "He never cries!"

"Actually," Mike looked at Mr. Armel and Jeremy, seeing how peaceful their older brother already seemed.

"I think this is a good thing..."

-{[(-_•*•_-)]}-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the Update: I know I wrote this almost 5 years ago now, but I'd still love to hear your thoughts! What did you like or dislike? What was your favorite part?

**Author's Note:**

> Question of the Update: If you ever ran away, what would your plan be? Did you ever try to run away as a kid?


End file.
